Will extra

instructional time make a difference for students struggling with reading

and math?

A state-funded

remediation program set for implementation in Fayette County's elementary,

middle and high schools the second week in January may provide the answer.

The new program

will provide 20 extra days, or 120 hours, of instructional time for students

who are behind grade level or fall below the 50th percentile on standardized

test, according to Dr. Pam Riddle, director of elementary operations for

Fayette County schools.

Teachers are

now being courted to fill the estimated 40 slots needed to start working

with students after class. Elementary schools will offer an extra hour

of reading instruction three days per week and math instruction two days

a week.

The middle

and high schools will focus solely on reading and writing skills, Riddle

explained.

"We will

be offering an hour at the middle schools four days a week and two hours

at the high schools four days a week," she said.

Directives

for implementing the remedial program were handed down last month from

the state Department of Education with funding provided through House

Bill 1187, also known as the A+ Education Reform Act. The state earmarked

about $30 million for the program, about $600,000 of that amount channeled

to Fayette County.

In addition

to after school tutorials, the plan calls for a four-week summer school

for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and a special four-week

remedial program at the high school level for upper grade students who

have failed the state graduation test.

Riddle estimates

that more than 100 teachers may need to be hired to get the program off

the ground, depending on the number of students who choose to take advantage

of the extra help.

About 40 math

and 40 reading teachers may be needed at the elementary level, about eight

teachers for the high schools and 20 more at the middle schools, Riddle

said.

"This

is an idealistic plan," Riddle admitted. Working out the logistics

is another matter, she explained. At the elementary level, for instance,

educators must take into consideration that students will need a snack

and may need transportation, two items the state has failed to cover in

its funding package.

While each

school district can mold the remedial program to fit the needs of its

constituency, the parameters are still pretty strict, Riddle noted.

"The intentions

are good if they work out all the bugs," Riddle said, referring to

the creators of this program.